Why there will never be someone as outspoken as Ali ever again

Mundine is just as outspoken and controversial as Ali, but no-one cares because Mundine is hopeless and got knocked out by Sven Ottke.

Anyway, I don't particularly care what someone like Ali, who had an IQ below 85 and was shockingly ignorant and held some extremely racist, sexist and elitist views, thinks about current affairs. I'm certainly more interested in what Max Washington, janitor from some inner-city highschool, has to say about the latest war. At least his opinion can be representative of a large body of people.

Anyone who looks to celebrities to tell them what to think, what to wear and how to act doesn't deserve the pleasure of watching boxing. On the flipside, anyone who condemns someone like Tyson as a ****** or Michael Jackson as a pedofile, when far more informed juries were unable to come to easy decisions, is also undeserving of the joys of boxing.

I hammer this point in again: making a stand doesn't mean anything if it's for immoral causes. Ali fought for segregation, misogyny, perpetuation of the class-system, racial conflict and the abandonment of the friends and allies of the USA. I don't understand who anyone who doesn't like that kind of stuff can idolise Ali for his "moral" stands and even factor it into rating Ali as an athlete. An athlete isn't a politician and shouldn't be.

 

He was GREAT because when he talked **** he backed it up (in and out of the ring). ALI will always be the GREATEST OF ALL TIME!

 

cassius clay.lol.
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Most sportsmen now a days are to pampered, self absorbed and stupid to have an informed view on what is actually going on in the world.

 

Ali was a product of the times. His outspokeness was magnified because it was a time of very strong racism and fear in the U.S.A. America wanted their blacks to be "humble". He was the opposite of Jackie Robinson, and Joe Louis who weren't as controversial. Odd thing is, his defiant attitude strengthened his place in the hearts of black americans when heros were hard to come by. Malcomn X and MLK were assassinated, and cointelpro was causing huge problems. What makes him even bigger is that his views transended the black community. White, and many other races embraced him also. Albeit, a little later down the line. To call him racist is ignorant considering his relationships with Angelo and Howard. Even going as far as threatining Don King on Howards behalf. Damn that war...it came at a time when blacks couldn't even drink out of the same water fountains down south. Why would he go and fight that war?

 

Obviously you have never met Ali
I have, and found him to be a terrific person. Away from the media you saw a different Ali the real Ali

 

That's how the NY Times work, why would it work differently elsewhere? :huh

 

Actually, that's exactly my point. I've not met Ali and thus can't make personal judgements about him. What I do know is that he's not the kind of guy I'd take advice from.

Is he a nice guy? A lot of people who have known him seem to say so. That's great, but there are a lot of nice people out there and there's no reason to turn one into a saint simply because he was a fantastic boxer. I'd rather appreciate Ali as an athlete than as an icon.

 

Forget the war. Hell, Nike doesn't want Tiger speaking about Nike.

Interesting that an athlete who is essentially half black and half Asian shills for a company that exploits Asian labor and dumb black consumers who disproportionately buy these overpriced Nike products.

 

I might disagree. Early on I think he was rather blindely following the Nation of Islam. Later on he became his own man.

 

Toney ... hands down

 

The day of just getting a paycheck has been over.

If anyone--athlete, celebrity, local person--can make a possitive difference, they should.

Instead many people hide behind economics as an excuse for capitalism.

As much money as some elite athlete's make, it would be noce to see them put money back into the communities that developed them instead of makiing some auto conglomerate even wealthier.

imo

 

I agree.

Though i wouldn't expect it anytime soon.

The problem is for them to be as "outspoken" as Ali, they need to be probably a P4P 1,2,3 in a competitive era, just to get the publicity.

Anyone can run at the mouth (hell look at Mundine) but you need to be at the peak of the sport to get coverage to match Ali, and even then its difficult.

 

no boxer would be as outspoken as ali because it so happened that boxing was no longer popular when barack obama was in college. he ought to have entered a gym instead of law school if boxing was hot those days. he would've KOd ali in in terms of talking and hyping.

 

Outspoken? I'm confused with that word you used. :think

Oh yeah now . . . I got it.

"characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion"